Wanting to provide professional opportunities to HBCU basketball players who historically haven’t received them from the NBA is what drove Kimberly Clark to help form an organization that will do just that.

Starting in 2023, the HBCU Basketball Association — an upstart league — will host its inaugural season exclusively featuring six teams made up of Black college talent. They will be playing the sport in traditional HBCU territories that include Houston, Texas; Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Daytona Beach, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia and New Orleans, Louisiana.

The HBCUBA will begin in February 2023 and run through June. In between, there will be tryouts and even a draft. HBCUBA President Kimberly Clark spoke with HBCU Sports senior editor Kendrick Marshall about a league that will give Black college ballers a pro dream.